Evaluate an Association Between Isotretinoin and Depression in Acne Patients: An Open Labelled Prospective Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21276/ee895f28Keywords:
Acne, isotretinoin, depressionAbstract
Background: Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial disease in which there are abnormalities in follicular keratinization, sebum production, proliferation of Propionibacterium and inflammation. It is a common disorder among young adults causing a considerable psychological impact. Treatment options include topical comedolytics, topical and systemic antibiotics, hormonal manipulations, and oral retinoids. Isotretinoin is a synthetic oral retinoid that is very effective in the treatment of moderate to severe acne. But there have been many reports associating isotretinoin with depression, though no clear evidence has been established. Aim: To determine whether oral isotretinoin increases the risk of depression in patients with acne.
Methods: 160 patients, with moderate to severe acne were treated with oral isotretinoin 0.5 mg/kg/day for a period of 3 months. Their acne and depression scoring was done at baseline and then every month for the first 3 months and then at 6 months.
Results: It was found that the acne scoring reduced from 4.10 ± 0.47 to 0.60 ± 0.61 (P = < 0.001) at the end of 3 months. There was a significant decrease in depression score from 4.89 ± 4.8 to 0.42 ± 1.12 (P < 0.001) at the end of 3 months. Both the acne and depression scores continued to remain low at the end of 6 months at 0.5 ± 0.52 and 0.18 ± 0.51, respectively.
Conclusions: This study concluded, that oral isotretinoin shows effective results in acne. Our study revealed no association between depression and isotretinoin but showed significant reduction in depression scores.
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